Mechanic Pleads Guilty to Defrauding BWC of $132,000

A West Portsmouth man pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fraud and theft, and must pay $132,239 in restitution to the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. Manuel Perez, 59, collected workers’ compensation benefits for four years while running an automobile repair shop out of his home, the BWC said. A judge suspended a six-month jail sentence and ordered him to serve five years of probation. The case took four years to investigate and prosecute, said BWC Administrator/CEO Sarah Morrison. In November 2012, investigators got a tip that Perez was working as a mechanic for his own ...